News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-07-07
THE FARM AND GARDEN.
A Few Practical Notes for Work on
the Farm.
from American Agriculturist, Julyl

from American Agriculturist, July.I
LIVE Stock IN JULY.-Horscs hard at
work need special care, both III food and
general treatment. They cannot do
hard work on grass alone, and should
have Il proper ration of oats. An Occa-
siOnal washing, i'll addition to currying
and brushing will keep the coat Ill good
order. Use Il cotton sheet to keep off
flies. Water frequently and they will
not drink to excess. Clean and sweet
stables promote the health OF the ami
mails, Cows often suffer from intense
heat while at pasture. Every pasture
should have shade. If there are no trees
make n shelter; a roof set upon stakes,
and matched with brush, will answer n
good purpose. If q COW is sunstrllck
while in full flow, the amount of milk is
greatly diminished, if not stopped
altogether, and is rarely restored. Sheep
should have free access to water, and be
provided with shade; give salt frequent
ly. Young pigs require little beyond
clover pasture. Those intended for early
market should have extra feed. Hens
set after this month rarely succeed with
their brood. The poultry house needs
special care in hot weather to keep it
clear of vermin. White-wash the sides
and floor, applying kerosene to the
rOosts, and provide dust boxes. Feed
turkeys daily enough to induce them to
come home at night.
The KITCHEN GARDEN.-Weeds will
now grow apace, and the rake, hoe and
cultivator must be kept in motion. The
asparagus tops should not be cut away
for decorations, etc, to any great extent.
Next years crop will depend upon the
growth of this years top; but few weeds
will grow in the shade of the tops; pull
out those that appear. Plant Refugee
Beans for late use and for picking.
Plant quick growing varieties of sweet
corn for late use. Sow carly beets to
afford an abundance of things which are
better than spinach in midsummer.
When the cucumbers for pickles are
up, dust the plants with ashes or plaster
to keep off the 'bugs'. Do not allow
sweet potato vines to root at the Joints.
When hoeing, move the vines. Keep
the tomatoes off the ground. limo trellis
has been provided, lay brush under
them, to keep the fruit off the ground.
The THINNING OF FKUITs.-Perhaps
no other horticultural operation has
been so much written about, or has been
so eloquently advocated at themeetings,
as that of thinning of fruits, by
whichwe mean the removal of
portion of the crop that sets,
that the portion of the crop that remains
by having double rations plant food,
may be larger and better; yet in spite of
all this expenditure of ink and elo-
quence, how little there is to show for
it. Who thins fruit upon any large
scale? 1t can be shown by figures, that
the one way to make fruit growing pay
is to sell good fruit at large prices, and
that the one way to have good fruit is to
throw away one-half or two thirds of it
while it is still young. This may be
done before the flowers have bloomed,
by the operation of disbudding. This
rarely removes enough, and as
soon us the fruit has set large share is
removed. If it appears that too much
still remains, the number may be reduc-
ed when it is half grown, and still more,
if need be, just as ripening is about to
beginning. So with grapes, certain
number of clusters of which is appor-
toned to the age and strength of the
vine. Of course precision like this is
not looked for in market culture, but an
approximation to it may be attempted,
but let nothing be carried beyond the
point of profit. If fruit grower be de-
sirous of testing the matter, let him
select two trees of the same kind,
peach, pear, apple, and also two grape
vines of each kind he proposes to grow,
at the same age, etc. Allow one of each
kind to go in the usual way, and with
the other thin out from one-half to two
thirds of the fruit from the tree soon
after it has set fairly. If when half
grown it appears that more thinning
will be profitable, do it, keeping an ac-
curate account of the cost of doing it.
With vines, left to themselves, each
shoot usually bears three clusters, some
times more, they leaving two clusters
and also one, on each shoot, and also in
pinching the cane back to three, two or
one leaf, beyond the bunch or lunches.
It is expected that the increased value
of the fruit, the price at which it is sold,
will leave handsome profit.
MAKING CLOVER HAY.
Cut the clover as soon as you can see
any heads turning brown. Cut at this
stage, the clover will make less weight
than if cut later; but it will have
greater food value, larger part of it be-
ing digestible. AS the heads ripen, the
percentage of woody fibre in the plant
steadily increases. Cut as soon as the
earliest blossoms begin to turn, it is
more troublesome to cure than if cut
later; but this is more than compensated
for by the greater value of the second
crop, whether it is cut for hay or seed.
When cut at the right season and well
cured, the nutritive value of clover hay
is fully equal to that of timothy, and is
greater in many food combinations, ON
account of its higher albuminoid ratio.
Clover is injured by too much sun. A
very hot sun is not desirable, as it
''burns' the clover, making the leaves
so brittle that they will break off in
handling. If allowed to get too ripe be-
fore it is cut, or if cut when the dew is
on, the effect is of the same nature. 1t
will cure out not little in the cock,
and this curing is more desirable than
sun-drying. The less handling neces-
sary the better. The best weather for
clover-hay making is when the sun is
not very hot and the air is dry. The
worst weather is-unfortunately, not I'M
cOmmOn-hOts sun and moist atmosphere;
then the hay "burns out" and sudden
showers may be expected.
Clover hay will not keep in a stack,
unless the stack is protected by a better
material. In the West, where most of
the hay is stacked, this is accomplished
by putting timothy on the top. Large
baTacks-ope sheds-are often used.
These cost but little, and afford good
protection. But nothing else equals
good NOV; and nearly all the value of
clover hay depends upon its curing and